PV Audio's Playtest Thread

You give me 2 months of use, and I get two pairs of shoes. Seriously, Babolat, please give the Propulse 4 a more durable toe. Or, give it the toe of the Propulse 2 but the body of the 3. That's the best I can think of. Because this is simply absurd (these are the replacement pair I got Sept 28 ):

Someone asked in another thread what a toe-dragger is. I am one with my left toe, as evidenced by my less than 2 month old shoes.

Stiff does not equal low power when it comes to strings. Example: Head Sonic Pro is stiffer than Mantis Comfort Synthetic by a large margin. MCS provides next to no power whatsoever in comparison.

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I am not some tw fanboy, I playtested this racquet several yeas ago in 2010 when it first came out. I remember that it had way more power than the rdis, and that was one of the reason that I did not like it. that being said though, I do very much so agree with their review. Anyway though, does not tw say that stiff strings give less power in the review?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gVZYR-hem0

not neccessarily - the softer ones surely have a different rebound angle which launches the ball eventually longer, which in turn is percieved as more powerful. i found out that one of the most important aspects is the speed at which the stringbed basically comes back upon impact. some stiff strings will be slow but some of the stiff ones which naturally will have a small deflection will also rebound very fast, thus being pretty powerfull in the sense of energy return - at least this is the way i interpret things and i do not say that the terms used by me are scientifically correct (i'm not a native speaker, so i eventually mess up some of these terms).

I am not challenging the string king or anything, but aren’t all soft polys way more powerful than stiff polys?

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No. WC Mosquito Bite is quite soft. Tour Bite is much more powerful. Bab Pro Hurricane is one of the softest on the market. RPM, ALU, Pro Red Code, Big Hitter Silver, Genesis Hexonic, all with more power and stiffness.

not neccessarily - the softer ones surely have a different rebound angle which launches the ball eventually longer, which in turn is percieved as more powerful. i found out that one of the most important aspects is the speed at which the stringbed basically comes back upon impact. some stiff strings will be slow but some of the stiff ones which naturally will have a small deflection will also rebound very fast, thus being pretty powerfull in the sense of energy return - at least this is the way i interpret things and i do not say that the terms used by me are scientifically correct (i'm not a native speaker, so i eventually mess up some of these terms).

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I think FGS is on the money with this. Ultimately, it comes down to your rhs. Stiffer strings, if deflected more will have a higher energy return but more acute launch angle. Softer strings, on the other hand, pocket more but have higher launch. Both can be perceived as power.

I've gone from playing a Prestige Mid with Kevlar/AluRough at 58lbs to playing with the 95D at 48lbs with Black 7. Is it powerful? Yes, comparatively, but I'd venture to say that I have more control with the 95D than I did with the Prestige Mid. Before you throw your hands up in the air and label me a heretic, let me qualify. Playing with a mid-range stiffness, lower tension poly allowed me to slow down my swing speed and work on HOW I was hitting the ball instead of how HARD. I no longer rely on bumping up the tension to provide me control.

Oh, and for the record, I hit with an APD strung with Lux Rough/Addiction in the high 50's the other day and was just as capable of putting the ball on court.

I think FGS is on the money with this. Ultimately, it comes down to your rhs. Stiffer strings, if deflected more will have a higher energy return but more acute launch angle. Softer strings, on the other hand, pocket more but have higher launch. Both can be perceived as power.

I've gone from playing a Prestige Mid with Kevlar/AluRough at 58lbs to playing with the 95D at 48lbs with Black 7. Is it powerful? Yes, comparatively, but I'd venture to say that I have more control with the 95D than I did with the Prestige Mid. Before you throw your hands up in the air and label me a heretic, let me qualify. Playing with a mid-range stiffness, lower tension poly allowed me to slow down my swing speed and work on HOW I was hitting the ball instead of how HARD. I no longer rely on bumping up the tension to provide me control.

Oh, and for the record, I hit with an APD strung with Lux Rough/Addiction in the high 50's the other day and was just as capable of putting the ball on court.

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The playtesters Chris and Granville used Kirschbaum P2 to tame that racquet. See the video review of the 95D.

PV, you were absolutely right about the 5 lb. string differential. My MuscleWeave 95 @47 Cyberflash/52 Hexy Fiber has sick feel and good comfort too. What a setup! I would have never thought to go that high on the cross string without reading your thread. Thanks a lot and happy holidays.

Why do you ask about the machine, out of curiosity? If you have found a good deal on an Aria or Opus, I would not even hesitate to take it. Yes, they don't make them any more, but they still fully stand behind them.

Why do you ask about the machine, out of curiosity? If you have found a good deal on an Aria or Opus, I would not even hesitate to take it. Yes, they don't make them any more, but they still fully stand behind them.

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I bought one in 1997 and it was poor quality. I am in the market for a machine and it seemed like this could be decent. How much does will a used one go for
I had a Babolat Star 5 but did not like it.

Well...in 1997 I would have been in 2nd grade so I can't really help you there. If you have the chance to get one, just go for the Opus. Linear gripper, more ergonomic. It's their flagship model and while I don't know where you might find one, they're rock solid. I love my Aria though and wouldn't trade it for anything. All the features I need and want, none I don't use.

How many playing hours do you usually get in full poly jobs from Weiss Cannon strings? Also, if you dont use a racket for 3-4 days does the racket loose much tension that would affect those limited playing hours that you get?

Usually about like 7-8 hours. And no, using the ping test, the tension of the dead stick was j ust slightly less than that of the 3-day from stringing stick. On racquettune it pinged out only half a lb lower than an hour after strung.

Indeed I have not. The only Kirschbaum strings I own/carry are PL2 18 and Spiky Shark 1.25. One customer in particular keeps raving about his PL2/Thunderblast hybrid having forever been consigned to synthetics due to TE. Apparently it gives good pop and spin.

Indeed I have not. The only Kirschbaum strings I own/carry are PL2 18 and Spiky Shark 1.25. One customer in particular keeps raving about his PL2/Thunderblast hybrid having forever been consigned to synthetics due to TE. Apparently it gives good pop and spin.

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Pro Line X should be softer and a bit more powerful than PL2 according to TW.

Indeed I have not. The only Kirschbaum strings I own/carry are PL2 18 and Spiky Shark 1.25. One customer in particular keeps raving about his PL2/Thunderblast hybrid having forever been consigned to synthetics due to TE. Apparently it gives good pop and spin.

Agreed. You can't expect to keep the ball in the court if you're using gut in a frame like that.

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It actually occurred to me last night that gut strung that low loses a lot of its inherent power so it might be ok. None the less, the open pattern S lines are designed to be poly frames. Having such a low tension in such an open frame might not be so conducive to the purpose of the frame (read: sloppy string bed). Just my .02, PV would know better though, he's been playing low tensions longer than I have.

I'm not the one to ask for tension that low haha. That'd best be answered in the low tension thread. The lowest I've gone to actually play with is 44 or 45. Did a high 30s once and it just felt pathetic. Considering I used to use Silverstring at 60lbs, my curren 47 is low tension

I know you found your new holy grail but I couldn't resist posting some new eyecandy. Ironically I customized an Aerogel 200g to almost these specs a week ago and it hits fantastic. The new 200 felt great in the hands and features "Biofiber"

PV,
I see you've hit with Alien strings before, though you haven't written up a playtest. Any quick thoughts on how they compare to other polys?
Also, it would be interesting to have a gut/Alien playtest. I could see it being a great setup or a poor setup.

Alien in my opinion is a fantastic poly. However, I have been told that the company is not exactly well managed. Far, far better than laserfibre, but then again, things that are more reliable than laserfibre include '70s Italian cars. It has a very unique feel that reminds me a lot of full B5E, but more crisp instead of plush.